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At risk children in Surrey

Professor Tanya Byron, NSPCC trustee and clinical psychologist, said: “Failing to plan is planning to fail, and alarmingly most CCGs are setting themselves up to fail children who have already been through abuse and trauma.

“It is unacceptable that despite the huge number of children estimated to have been abused, and the known link between abuse and mental health problems, the vast majority of our health services do not have a proper strategy for how to take care of these children.

“CCGs need to urgently review and improve their plans so that they are fully prepared to help children when they need it most.

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"And government needs to hold CCGs to account to publish high quality plans in a timely fashion every year.”

Research by the NSPCC shows that children who have suffered abuse are twice as likely to develop clinical depression.

The charity found that nationwide an estimated 1.2 million children are living in an area with inadequate plans for their mental health needs.

Surrey's figure of 33,570 children is the third highest in London and the South East, behind north west London, 59,825, and Kent, with 54,519.

The government needs to hold CCGs to account, the NSPCC says (Image: Tom Hull/NSPCC)

The NSPCC added that its figures are a "conservative estimate", as they only incorporate abuse and neglect at the hands of a parent or carer, rather than by any kind of perpetrator.

The Surrey Downs, Surrey Heath, North West Surrey, Guildford and Waverley, and East Surrey CCGs released a joint statement on the NSPCC statistics.

A spokesman said a one-year review has commenced to ensure that the services in place meet the expectations of its strategy and identifies areas requiring further development.

She said: "We have made significant strides in our journey of transformation for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) across Surrey; building on a programme of change that has informed the commissioning of a more robust and patient centred CAMHS service, jointly procured in April 2016 and led by NHS Guildford and Waverley CCG.